Old School Coinage

Phew.  It has been a while since I have had time to sit down and let my fingers unleash some creativity (or garbage:) upon my dell.  The reason I have been long to post is that I have been busy establishing a routine since summer has ended and school has resumed.  Here is an example of what my life currently looks like 5:15: Wake up/Read 5:30: Work out 7:00: Shower and get ready to work 7:20: Work day begins 3:30: Work day ends 4:00: Get home and prep dinner 5:00: Eat dinner 6:00: Clean up/Other chores, usually outside work 7:00: Watch an hour of t.v. or so (depends on what shows are on) 8:30: Shower and off to bed/Read 9:30: Finish reading/Lights out/Sleep Looking at my routine after having typed it out is kind of weird.  I know that I do all of these things on a daily basis and it is kind of what makes me who I am.  I am slightly OCD so having a routine is very important because I feel more successful when I stick to a routine.  I also bel...

February: I sat on the edge of the bed wringing my hands.  It was cold out but my body felt as if it had run 10 miles.  My heart was pounding and I was trying my best to look stoic.  My wife was weeping in the bathroom.  We had just received her test results back from the doctor.  She was going to lose another child.  ANOTHER. I wasn't mad at her.  I wasn't mad at myself.  I wasn't even mad.  I was in disbelief.  In that moment I came to the terrible realization that we would probably never have kids. March: My birthday is in march.  So is spring break.  We took a nice weekend trip to St. Louis and had a wonderful time.  My wife was still struggling with health issues which worried me.  We didn't know what was going on.  She was supposed to be o.k.  I didn't really understand what was going on.  All I knew is that she looked fine and felt fine, but one day I could wake up and she could be dead ...

Today I am reviewing an event that I have done multiple times.  The event is known as a tough mudder and if you haven't done one yet then I strongly recommend participating in one. What is a tough mudder you may ask?  It is a 10-12 mile obstacle course that involves mud, electricity, and beer.  Trust me when I say that it is a blast.  Mohawks, mullets, and mayhem ensue at these events and the more crazy you act the more you will fit in.  It is a chance to truly let your freak flag fly as costumes are welcomed. If you would like specific information on TOUGH MUDDER then just click the link and head on over to their website to find out more.  In this post I will give you my opinion on what you need to do to prepare for your first tough mudder. Training: Be able to run 5-6 miles.  Whoa...hold the phone.  That sounds like a long ways.  It is.  In fact depending on your race that is half the distance you will be going on race day....

Hmmm you may be thinking as you read the title.  I wonder if the surprise is anything good.  Maybe a birthday cake.  Maybe some found money.  Maybe the surprise is "everyone gets a car!!!!"  Sorry Oprah.  Just had to. Nope.  The surprise is not actually a good thing.  I received in the mail an unexpected bill for $565.  Ouch.  That hurt.  That actually really hurt because we had to take part of the money out of our emergency fund.  I admit, I kind of freaked out over it.  The worst part is the bill really wasn't that unexpected.  It was for car insurance that is due every six months.  I had gotten slazish (lazy/slacker) and forgotten to calculate the amount of money needed to be put away every month so that the car(s) insurance could be paid.  Dave Ramsey would say that I just paid some stupid tax.  Some of you may be saying it is ONLY five hundred bucks.  Some of you may tell me it isn't that ...

Do it yourself or DIY is pretty popular among the finance bloggers these days.  It is no wonder people who want to save money are doing more and more projects themselves.  Need a roof shingled?  No problem.  Toilet repaired?  Easy peasy.  Wire a switch or two?  Nothing to it.  Except getting shocked.  Getting shocked sucks. The modern era of you tube and forums have allowed easy access to information that you used to have to go to the library to get.  Even if you could get a book on the whatever you were doing pre-internet you still couldn't watch a tutorial on how to do something. I myself am into wiring and minor projects around the house and I don't consider myself a "handyman."  All of this is great but I ask the question when is DIY not worth it? DIY is obviously not worth it if you don't know what you are doing, have no skills, and have no desire to learn those skills.  Some may consider those people lazy.  I d...